Desolation
by infantilejoy
Summary: After our beloved team of unstoppables disbanded, Captain America and Black Widow set out to recruit new members- orders straight from Director Fury himself. While knocking on doors, a sketchy dark-haired figure convinces Steve that he can join and be successful, all against Natasha's will. What will happen when this man turns out to be no human at all? Can the new team prevail?
1. Stage One: The New Initiative

Walking into the steel-clad hallway in which three new members of the S.H.I.E.L.D.-hired Avengers stand, Steve Rogers makes an announcement.

"Director Fury has ordered us to carry out the new Avengers Initiative. He wants us to find people willing and able to fill the spots of your mentors, the five Avengers who have run off, gone home, and," he pauses, looking at the young Wanda Maximoff, "died."

Flinching at the indirect mention of of her late twin brother, Pietro, Wanda fixes her gaze on the woods outside of the window to her left instead of looking back at Steve.

Steve clears his throat and makes a mental note to talk to her later. Natasha Romanoff's hot breaths that land on his right shoulder remind him to keep talking. He suddenly loses his train of thought as he remembers battling Bucky. _He knows me, he knows me, he knows me_ , he thinks.

Thankfully, Natasha covers for him. She steps in front of him and summarizes his announcement. "The Director wants us to go door-knocking. I'll teach you how to ding-dong ditch, too," she says with a wink. "Now, suit up and head out to the air shuttle."

With that the Avengers are dismissed to their separate temporary rooms, where the three will live until their training is over.

"Your mind hasn't been with you all day, Fossil. What's up?" Natasha asks Steve, using her pet name for him.

"Nothing," comes the short reply.

"Bullshit. Tell me what's wrong. You think you've hidden your emotions pretty well, don't you? You aren't fooling me, Rogers."

"I'm sorry, Nat, it's just that-"

"Bucky?"

Disbelief and surprise cross his face briefly.

"Your eyes say it all, Rogers, and mine have seen it all. I know just about every kind of heartbreak there is. Like I said, you can't fool me. C'mon now, cheer up. We've got some Avengers to recruit."

"And some to find," he hints, knowing that Natasha always held a secret longing for the since-lost Doctor Bruce Banner, although he'd always personally perceived her with Clinton Barton. _What a surprise that was_ , he thinks, remembering when he saw Clint's family for the first time. He'd always kind of had a crush on her, but he knew it would be hard to forget Peggy, his best girl.

"Right. I'll fly today."

"No, it's okay, I'll fly."

"No, you won't. You need some rest to clear your mind. I'll keep the kids under control."

Reaching back to scratch his head, Steve gives in to Natasha's forest green eyes. "Thanks. I appreciate it, Nat."

"Sure thing, Fossil. Go suit up."

Walking to her quarters, Director Nicholas Fury saunters casually to meet her. "Agent Romanoff, might I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

He carries an untidy tan portfolio within his hands. "I have a potential recruit for you to take a look at."

"Who is it?"

Nick hands Natasha a small rectangular photo of a young man with dark hair and glasses. "Look familiar at all?"

"Not really," Natasha replies truthfully.

"Hank McCoy, otherwise known as Beast. He's with Charles Xavier and the X-Men."

"I remember him! Logan Howlett introduced us." Her bright red hair swishes side to side as she shakes her head.

"Right. I want you to find him."

"You mean you don't know where he's at? I get he's a 'busy hero' and everything, but-"

"With all due respect, I don't have time for your lip, Agent Romanoff. Let me explain."


	2. Stage Two: The Beast

"Finding Hank McCoy is not going to be easy," Nick continues. "Rumor has it he hasn't been doing much besides drinking these days. Here are our tabs we've kept on him over the years." He hands Natasha the pale battered portfolio he was carrying that has various papers sticking out of the side.

"Wait, but he doesn't work for S.H.I.E.L.D., so isn't that illegal to keep tabs on him?" Natasha questions, flipping through and scanning the various papers.

"Illegal, yes, but we've found a loophole. Murder and destruction of property are illegal, too, Agent Romanoff, but we've been jumping through loopholes for you as well. We aren't about to get all of S.H.I.E.L.D. arrested. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to work to do and papers to sign."

"Thanks, I guess," she mutters as Fury stalks off to attend to his business, aloof and specific, in his office.

"Uh, Miss Romanoff?" A young voice calls after her from the end of the hallway.

Natasha turns to face light-skinned Wanda, who stands, twirling her dark brown hair in between her long bony fingers.

"Call me Natasha. Everyone does. What's on your mind?"

"Well, I, um-" Wanda turns her gaze to the wall, trying to think of how to get tangled thoughts out of her mind in word form without sounding crazy. "I need help," she finally manages to sum up her thoughts.

"With what?" Natasha tilts her head to the right, letting gravity take her short red hair down a few inches.

"I need help dealing with Pietro's death. I hear you know a great deal about pain." Wanda's Russian accent glides off of her tongue with every word she says.

"That I do. Come with me to my quarters. We can talk privately there."

"But Director Fury says that we shouldn't enter our mentors' quarters, even if they offer."

Natasha raises a single finger to her full lips. "Sh-h-h. He doesn't have to know. Besides, he's just worried that you'll get unfair training that Vision and Falcon won't get. Follow me.

In Natasha's small apartment on the uppermost floor of S.H.I.E.L.D., Wanda sits upon a tiny dining chair as Natasha puts on her black battle attire behind a vintage Russian room divider.

"What's hard about letting him go?" Natasha asks sympathetically, choosing her words carefully so as not to offend her guest.

"He was my twin and we had a special bond unlike any other. I just- I mean, he was too young and caring to die. He held a place in his heart for everyone he cared for. That's why he saved Clinton."

Stepping out from behind the room divider, fully dressed, Natasha tries to comfort the Russian girl. "Well, we can't hold on to everyone forever. Pietro saved my best friend, Wanda, and for that I'm eternally grateful."

Their conversation is suddenly interrupted by a loud voice speaking through the P.A. system speakers that every corridor, room, and lab held within it. The one in Natasha's apartment held Nick Fury's voice, asking if all Avengers would please report to the air shuttle outside?

"We'd better get a move on. We'll talk later, right?"

"Definitely," comes Wanda's response.


	3. Stage Three: Uncertainty and Sadness

Sitting at his newly-furnished countryside house -the one he'd promised Pepper he would buy- Tony Stark sighs and rests his head on the back of his stiff new couch.

"What's wrong?" Pepper asks from the nearby kitchen, hearing his sigh of distress.

"Nothing. Well, I mean, it's definitely something, but it's nothing," he replies.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?"

Tony knows he's no match for Pepper's persistence. "I guess I just feel bad for leaving them to fend for themselves." He knows he sounds rather boastful, but that's just the way he is.

"You can't be there for everyone, Tony. Besides, you're not the only one who protects them," Pepper points out.

"You're right. Do you think Bruce or Thor went back?"

"Not that I've heard of."

Unsure of what to think or do, Tony closes his eyes and rests.

•We join the new team of avenging badasses in their spacious flying vehicle.•

"Wanda, may I have a word?" Steve calls from the control panel of the ship.

"Yes, sir." Wanda walks over towards the buff Captain America.

"You seem depressed. Is everything alright?"

Truthfully, Wanda shakes her head. She's tired of hiding her emotions.

"Is it Pietro?"

The powerful young woman bursts into tears.

"Follow me. Falcon, can you handle the controls and keep a lookout for enemies?"

"Yes, sir," comes the dark-skinned man's reply. He stalks over to the panel and takes Steve's seat.

Wanda and Steve head over to a corner of the vehicle for privacy.

"What's on your mind?" Steve asks.

"Pietro was my brother, my twin. There was never anyone closer than we."

Steve's mind drifts off to think about Peggy and Bucky. Wanda is really hurting.

"I know exactly how you feel, I'm afraid."

"Did you have a brother, too?"

"No, but I lost my best friend _and_ my best girl. I was closer to them than anyone. Peggy died and Bucky doesn't remember me. He almost killed me."

"You will never understand!"

Natasha turns around in her chair.

"Steve, Wanda, you both are tired. Will you please go and set yourselves up on the bunks?" The redhead's tone is controlling. The two are left with no choice but to obey.

Wanda awakes to a cold hand on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she's surprised to see Pietro.

"Wanda, wake up. C'mon, we're here." Contradicting his cold flesh, Pietro's smile is warm and his eyes are lit up.

"Pietro? No, you're dead. It can't be you."

Pietro's face fades and is replaced by Steve's.  
"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Wanda replies quickly, a fierce blush spreading across her cheeks. She tries to make it go away by rubbing her icy-tipped fingers on them. It doesn't work.

"Did you call me- never mind. We've landed." A small smile crosses his face briefly before it's replaced by his usual serious slim line of a mouth.

Wanda sees something scamper across his eyes, over his mind, but she can't tell what - or who - it was. Perhaps it was Peggy. Perhaps it was Bucky. Perhaps it was nothing at all.

Three raps on the large, lumbering doors cause them to open up and reveal a shaggy-haired, disheveled, slovenly man. He staggered as though he were drunk.  
"Woah, woah, bright light," he says, laughing and holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the sunlight attacking the sky. "How can I help you, gentlemen?" He asks, obviously dismissing the females in the group.

"Is Hank McCoy here?" Natasha asks, getting right down to business. "We need to speak with him."

The man's expression suddenly becomes worried and... Pained?  
"What do you want with him?"

"Listen, we just want to talk-" Steven tries.

"No, I'm sorry, he's not here... He's not here. Good day!" The man attempts to shut the doors but for Wanda's slender hand acting as a doorstop. "Listen, lady, I just wanna let you know-"

"Open the door." Soberly Wanda peeks through the small opening left in the doors by her hand. "Open it now."

Steven and Natasha look at one another.

"Okay, but I warned you; the guy you're looking for isn't here."


End file.
